Pacific Air Lines Flight 773
Encyclopedia
Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 was a Pacific Air Lines
Fairchild F-27A
airliner that crashed at 6:49 a.m. on May 7, 1964 near San Ramon, California
, USA. The crash was likely the first instance in the United States of an airliner's pilots being shot by a passenger as part of a mass murder/suicide; Francisco Paula Gonzales, 27, shot both the pilot and co-pilot before turning the gun on himself, causing the plane to crash and killing all 44 aboard.
, Gonzales, now a warehouse worker living in San Francisco, had been "disturbed and depressed" over marital and financial difficulties in the months preceding the crash. Gonzales was deeply in debt and nearly half of his income was committed to various loan payments, and he had advised both relatives and friends that he "would die on either Wednesday, the 6th of May, or Thursday, the 7th of May." In the week preceding the crash, Gonzales referred to his impending death on a daily basis, and purchased a Smith & Wesson
handgun through a friend of a friend. The evening before the crash, before boarding a flight to Reno, Nevada
, he had shown the gun to numerous friends at the airport and told one person that he intended to kill himself. Gonzales gambled in Reno the night before the fatal flight and told a casino employee that he didn't care how much he lost because "it won't make any difference after tomorrow."
Fairchild F-27, registration N2770R, was a U.S.-built version of the Fokker F-27 Friendship
airliner. It was manufactured in 1959, and had accumulated about 10,250 flight hours up to its final flight, with Pacific Air Lines as the sole owner and operator.
, with a scheduled stop in Stockton, California
. The crew consisted of Captain Ernest "Ernie" A. Clark, 52, pilot in command, First Officer Ray Andress, 31, copilot, and Flight Attendant Margaret Schafer, 30.
After crossing the Sierra Nevada, the plane arrived at Stockton, where two passengers deplaned and ten boarded, bringing the plane’s total to 41 passengers. It was about 6:38 a.m. when Flight 773 lifted off and headed towards San Francisco International.
(ARTCC) received a high-pitched, garbled radio message from Flight 773, and the aircraft soon disappeared from the center’s radar
displays.
After attempting unsuccessfully to contact Flight 773, Oakland ARTCC asked another aircraft in the immediate vicinity, United Air Lines Flight 593, if they had the plane in sight. Flight 593's flight crew responded that they did not see Flight 773, but a minute later they reported: "There’s a black cloud of smoke coming up through the undercast at ... three-thirty, four o’clock position right now. Looks like (an) oil or gasoline fire." Oakland ARTCC realized that the smoke spotted by the United air crew was likely caused by the crash of Pacific Air Lines Flight 773.
Flying at its assigned altitude of 5,000 feet, Flight 773 had suddenly gone into a steep dive. It crashed and exploded into a rural hillside in southern Contra Costa County. Flight 773's last radio message, from First Officer Andress, was deciphered through laboratory analysis: "Skipper’s shot. We’ve been shot. (I was) tryin’ to help."
The official accident report stated that witnesses along the flight path and near the impact area described "extreme and abrupt changes in attitude of Flight 773 with erratic powerplant sounds" before the plane hit a sloping hillside at a relative angle of 90 degrees.
.357 Magnum
revolver, holding six spent cartridges. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
soon joined the CAB in a search for evidence so that the apparent criminal aspects of this case could be pursued. Investigators found that when Gonzales left San Francisco for Reno the day before the fatal flight, he was carrying the .357, and that he had purchased $105,000 worth of life insurance
at the airport, payable to his wife.
The probable cause stated in the CAB accident report was "the shooting of the captain and first officer by a passenger during flight", and the FBI determined that the suicidal Gonzales was the shooter.
prior to the crash of Flight 773, but had not become effective yet.
In another murder/suicide incident with similarities to Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, PSA Flight 1771
crashed on December 7, 1987 into a rural area near Cayucos, California
, killing all 43 on board. The plane went out of control after a passenger shot both pilots. Both crash sites were on sparsely-populated grassy hillsides used for cattle ranching, contributing to the lack of ground casualties.
Julie Clark, one of three daughters of the murdered Captain of Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, and orphaned at the age of 15 by her father's death, grew up to become a commercial airline pilot for Northwest Airlines, and performs aerobatic displays at airshows.
Steven Andress, only son and fourth child of co-pilot Ray Andress, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and went on to fly with Alaska Airlines.
Pacific Air Lines
Pacific Air Lines was a regional airline serving the West Coast of the United States that began operations in the 1940s under the name Southwest Airways...
Fairchild F-27A
Fairchild Hiller FH-227
The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States...
airliner that crashed at 6:49 a.m. on May 7, 1964 near San Ramon, California
San Ramon, California
-2010 census:The 2010 United States Census reported that San Ramon had a population of 72,148. The population density was 3,991.1 people per square mile...
, USA. The crash was likely the first instance in the United States of an airliner's pilots being shot by a passenger as part of a mass murder/suicide; Francisco Paula Gonzales, 27, shot both the pilot and co-pilot before turning the gun on himself, causing the plane to crash and killing all 44 aboard.
Events preceding the flight
A former member of the Philippine sailing team at the 1960 Summer OlympicsSailing at the 1960 Summer Olympics
Sailing/Yachting is a Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad . With the exception of 1904 and possible 1916 sailing was always a part of the Olympic program....
, Gonzales, now a warehouse worker living in San Francisco, had been "disturbed and depressed" over marital and financial difficulties in the months preceding the crash. Gonzales was deeply in debt and nearly half of his income was committed to various loan payments, and he had advised both relatives and friends that he "would die on either Wednesday, the 6th of May, or Thursday, the 7th of May." In the week preceding the crash, Gonzales referred to his impending death on a daily basis, and purchased a Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
handgun through a friend of a friend. The evening before the crash, before boarding a flight to Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, he had shown the gun to numerous friends at the airport and told one person that he intended to kill himself. Gonzales gambled in Reno the night before the fatal flight and told a casino employee that he didn't care how much he lost because "it won't make any difference after tomorrow."
Aircraft
The plane, a twin-engine turbopropTurboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
Fairchild F-27, registration N2770R, was a U.S.-built version of the Fokker F-27 Friendship
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
airliner. It was manufactured in 1959, and had accumulated about 10,250 flight hours up to its final flight, with Pacific Air Lines as the sole owner and operator.
Flight
The F-27 took off from Reno at 5:54 a.m., with 33 passengers aboard, including Gonzales, and a crew of three, bound for San Francisco International AirportSan Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
, with a scheduled stop in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. The crew consisted of Captain Ernest "Ernie" A. Clark, 52, pilot in command, First Officer Ray Andress, 31, copilot, and Flight Attendant Margaret Schafer, 30.
After crossing the Sierra Nevada, the plane arrived at Stockton, where two passengers deplaned and ten boarded, bringing the plane’s total to 41 passengers. It was about 6:38 a.m. when Flight 773 lifted off and headed towards San Francisco International.
Murder/Suicide
At 6:48:15, with the aircraft approximately 10 minutes out of Stockton, the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control CenterArea Control Center
In air traffic control, an Area Control Center , also known as a Center, is a facility responsible for controlling instrument flight rules aircraft en route in a particular volume of airspace at high altitudes between airport approaches and departures...
(ARTCC) received a high-pitched, garbled radio message from Flight 773, and the aircraft soon disappeared from the center’s radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
displays.
After attempting unsuccessfully to contact Flight 773, Oakland ARTCC asked another aircraft in the immediate vicinity, United Air Lines Flight 593, if they had the plane in sight. Flight 593's flight crew responded that they did not see Flight 773, but a minute later they reported: "There’s a black cloud of smoke coming up through the undercast at ... three-thirty, four o’clock position right now. Looks like (an) oil or gasoline fire." Oakland ARTCC realized that the smoke spotted by the United air crew was likely caused by the crash of Pacific Air Lines Flight 773.
Flying at its assigned altitude of 5,000 feet, Flight 773 had suddenly gone into a steep dive. It crashed and exploded into a rural hillside in southern Contra Costa County. Flight 773's last radio message, from First Officer Andress, was deciphered through laboratory analysis: "Skipper’s shot. We’ve been shot. (I was) tryin’ to help."
The official accident report stated that witnesses along the flight path and near the impact area described "extreme and abrupt changes in attitude of Flight 773 with erratic powerplant sounds" before the plane hit a sloping hillside at a relative angle of 90 degrees.
Investigation
Investigators from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) found in the mangled wreckage a damaged Smith & WessonSmith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
.357 Magnum
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
revolver, holding six spent cartridges. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
soon joined the CAB in a search for evidence so that the apparent criminal aspects of this case could be pursued. Investigators found that when Gonzales left San Francisco for Reno the day before the fatal flight, he was carrying the .357, and that he had purchased $105,000 worth of life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
at the airport, payable to his wife.
The probable cause stated in the CAB accident report was "the shooting of the captain and first officer by a passenger during flight", and the FBI determined that the suicidal Gonzales was the shooter.
Aftermath
Civil air regulation amendments became effective on August 6, 1964, that required that doors separating the passenger cabin from the crew compartment on all scheduled air carrier and commercial aircraft must be kept locked in flight. An exception to the rule remains during takeoff and landing on certain aircraft, such as the Fairchild F-27, where the cockpit door leads to an emergency passenger exit. The amendments were actually passed by the Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
prior to the crash of Flight 773, but had not become effective yet.
In another murder/suicide incident with similarities to Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, PSA Flight 1771
PSA Flight 1771
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a commercial flight that crashed near Cayucos, California, United States, on December 7, 1987, as a result of a murder-suicide scheme by one of the passengers. All 43 people on board the aircraft died...
crashed on December 7, 1987 into a rural area near Cayucos, California
Cayucos, California
Cayucos is a census-designated place located on the coast in San Luis Obispo County, California along California State Route 1 between Cambria to the north and Morro Bay to the south...
, killing all 43 on board. The plane went out of control after a passenger shot both pilots. Both crash sites were on sparsely-populated grassy hillsides used for cattle ranching, contributing to the lack of ground casualties.
Julie Clark, one of three daughters of the murdered Captain of Pacific Air Lines Flight 773, and orphaned at the age of 15 by her father's death, grew up to become a commercial airline pilot for Northwest Airlines, and performs aerobatic displays at airshows.
Steven Andress, only son and fourth child of co-pilot Ray Andress, attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and went on to fly with Alaska Airlines.
See also
- List of notable accidents and incidents on commercial aircraft
- PSA Flight 1771PSA Flight 1771Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a commercial flight that crashed near Cayucos, California, United States, on December 7, 1987, as a result of a murder-suicide scheme by one of the passengers. All 43 people on board the aircraft died...
- December 7, 1987 - FedEx Flight 705FedEx Flight 705On April 7, 1994, FedEx Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 cargo jet ferrying electronics across the United States from Memphis, Tennessee to San Jose, California, experienced an attempted hijacking for the purpose of a suicide attack....
- April 7, 1994
Further reading
- Serling, Robert J. Loud and Clear: The Full Answer to Aviation's Vital Question-Are the Jets Really Safe? Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1969
External links
- Death Wish, Time, November 6, 1964
- NTSB - brief incident summary
- Photograph of a Pacific Air Lines F-27, similar to the one that crashed.
- Photograph of an open F-27 cargo door, located between the cockpit and passenger cabin, that also served as an emergency exit.
- Check-Six.com - The Crash of Pacific Air Lines 773 - Includes full crew and passenger lists